You’ve likely looked at a photo and asked yourself, “Is that what I think it is?” Our brains can deceive us like that at times, so it isn’t your fault. But you may need to do a double-take to understand what is actually happening.
Check these images out and see for yourself. You will eventually realize that these are merely well-timed and taken at the perfect angle, but at first glance, you may feel like your eyes are playing tricks on you.
As always, don’t forget to upvote those that grabbed your attention the most!
#1 The Reflection Off My Laundry Detergent Looks Like Saturn
Image credits: skelguyader
#2 Close-Up Of An Old Tree Stump That Looks Like Jungle-Like Mountains
Image credits: Fendjinn
#3 The Sky Over Minnesota Reminds Me Of That Scene Of Interstellar When They're On The Water Planet
Image credits: MyNameGifOreilly
If at one point you thought you saw the face of Jesus Christ on your breakfast toast, don’t worry, you’re not going crazy. You’re likely experiencing a case of pareidolia.
Live Science defines this as a brain phenomenon in which you may see or even hear something significant in a random image or pattern. In most cases, however, people often see human faces in inanimate objects.
#4 Who Is This Diva?
Image credits: silkenhearts
#5 Appreciate People Like You Regardless
Image credits: itsmeCaseyMc
#6 My Dog Kinda Looks Like An Oil Painting In This Photo
Image credits: Hcrumble
Now, for the question of “Why?” Experts have different theories and responses to this. According to Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Nouchine Hadjukhani, we humans could recognize faces from the moment we were born.
"If you take a baby just after a few minutes of life, he will direct his attention toward something that has the general features of a face versus something that has the same elements but in a random order," Dr. Hadjikhani told the BBC in an interview.
#7 Like A Portal To Another Dimension
Image credits: MattCloudy
#8 This Window Looking Like A Painting
Image credits: hulloluke
#9 Sunset Looks Like The Apocalypse
Image credits: Goal1
For University College London neuroscientist Sophie Scott, pareidolia can also be a result of our own expectations. In the same BBC interview, she also used the "Jesus face" in the toast example, stating that a person is likely to interpret based on preconceived notions rather than what is actually in front of them. And this is where pareidolia can be powerful for people who believe in miracles.
“We really want to see things like faces, we really want to hear things like voices, and our perceptual system will set out to do that,” she said.
#10 I Laughed Harder Than I Should’ve
Image credits: relatedTWEETS35
#11 This Pencil’s Shavings Look Like A Flower
Image credits: synonymsfortired
#12 Sunset Looks Like A Fire
Image credits: Gianleafs
Another interesting aspect of pareidolia is that it also involves emotions beyond the visual. As explained in a 2020 study published in the Psychological Science journal, it enables us not only to see faces but also to sense a personality.
As an example, the authors of the study used a house window that may make you feel as though a pair of eyes is watching you. It’s also why you may see a smiling face on a capsicum.
#13 Asperitas Clouds Look Like They Came From A Van Gogh Painting
Image credits: RetiredAsparagus
#14 Fungus That Perfectly Resembles Fire
Image credits: WildlyLostGirl
#15 Sunset Made This Building Look Like It Was On Fire
Image credits: ElephantKant
What about you, readers? Which of these photos grabbed your attention the most? What is it about them that stood out to you? Let us know in the comments!
#16 My Car Resembles Toothless From 'How To Train Your Dragon'
Image credits: GoGetLost
#17 This Lenticular Cloud That Resembles An Sr-71
Image credits: cosmicbluebeard
#18 Snow Outside My Dorm Looked Like A Blanket
Image credits: Loose-Acanthisitta12
#19 An Eagle Atop A Frondless Palm Resembles A Space Launch!
Image credits: MrCarlSr
#20 The Shadow Of That Bike Looks Like A Xenomorph
Image credits: Academic-Stuff-7921
#21 This Moth I Found In My Garden Has Evolved To Resemble A Piece Of Birch Wood
Image credits: savouryjesus
#22 Sunlight Pouring Through This Fountain In L'aquila, Italy, Makes It Look Like It's Pouring Lava
Image credits: RincnCuriosoo
#23 I Found This Salt Flake That Resembles Chichén Itzá
Image credits: GiveMeThatCakeNow
#24 This Is Not Mannequin Sitting Next To Me On This Flight. She Is Asleep And Snoring
Image credits: imgur.com
#25 And I Clicked It
Image credits: Stevie67_
#26 This Cloud Looks Like The Pi Symbol
Image credits: Available-Drink-5232
#27 A View From My Car Looks Similar To The View From The Airplane
Image credits: redvakho
#28 I Grew A Beet That Looks Very Similar To A Heart
Image credits: urlocalcommie
#29 Photo I Took Of Florida Moonlight Looks Like A Hollywood Set Backdrop
Image credits: 1stumbler
#30 Chipped Paint On This Propane Tank Lid Resembles A Globe
Image credits: laaaabe
#31 Who Lives In A Pineapple Under The Sea?
Image credits: alidomrongchai
#32 Dog Looks Like He's Wearing Pants
Image credits: maverick1ba
#33 I Scraped Some Margarine For Some Toast This Morning And It Looks Like A Chameleon At Rest
Image credits: Unisonlibrarian
#34 The Butter Stain On The Knife Resembles A Forest And A Single Tree
Image credits: HrabiaMol
#35 The Roots Of This Tree Look Like Smooth Stone
Image credits: aussiedoodlemummy
#36 This Tree Burnt In A Wildfire Years Ago Resembles A Topological Map
Image credits: balisongbob
#37 My New Mandolin Slicer Slices Carrots So Thinly They Look Like Biological Specimens
Image credits: KnitAndKnitAndKnit
#38 Thought The Cup Was Blasting Off For A Second There
Image credits: imgur.com
#39 I Made Vodka Sauce That Resembles Jupiter
Image credits: Misterman2158
#40 Ivy On A Telephone Pole That Makes It Look Like A Tree
Image credits: Great-Cow7256
#41 This Egg Yolk Looks Like A Person Emoji
Image credits: trevie
#42 The Bubbles At The Bottom Of My Water Glass Look Like A Script Of Some Kind
Image credits: Lilt34
#43 This Egg I'm Incubating Looks Like The Spider-Man Symbol
Image credits: ReallyJackSparrow
#44 Powder Looks Like A Renaissance Painting
Image credits: murahlee
#45 This Hole In Knee Of My Gfs Pants That Oddly Resembles Pacman Eating Two Dots
Image credits: SpacePartyFowl
#46 This Cookie That Resembles The Icon For WiFi
Image credits: PositiveAd6142
#47 Now That's What I Would Call A "Hot Dog"
Image credits: marisaiscamp
#48 View From My Porch In La: Looks Like A Mushroom Cloud Tonight
Image credits: JustinIsFunny
#49 My Friend Just Picked A Bell Pepper From His Yard That Almost Exactly Resembles A Human Brain
Image credits: chevybass
#50 A Tree Next To My House Has A Perfect #5 In The Branches:
Image credits: Hutchiewoo
#51 Forgotten Microwaved Beans Resemble Coral Reef
Image credits: elysiiium
#52 I Cannot Believe It Isn't
Image credits: ibk_xi
#53 My Mom Combined Two Dish Soaps And The Result Looks Like A Magic Potion
Image credits: Shawnttshowbiz
#54 Kidney Stone That Resembles Covid-19 Virus
Image credits: BioGrayn
#55 The Mud On This Truck Resembles Something Of A Painting Including A Forest And A Waterfall
Image credits: MttroTesslar
#56 My Steak Resembles The U.S.
Image credits: Dev-N-Danger
#57 The Floor Of My Train In Japan Looks Like Qr Codes
Image credits: fireflec
#58 The Reflection In My TV Looks Like A Play Button
Image credits: woutomatic
#59 Same
Image credits: PopBase
#60 Cathedral In Reykjavik Made To Look Like Basalt Volcanic Columns
Image credits: Afraid_Juice_7189
#61 The Wire For My Electric Toothbrush Looks Like A Tooth With A Cavity
Image credits: sfaulkner89
#62 My Pond Froze With A Design Resembling Neurons
Image credits: saintnicklaus90
#63 Lenticular Cloud Over The White Mtns Resembles A Heart
Image credits: Bpesca
#64 No Seriously Thought We Were Looking At A Country From Aerial View
Image credits: grlcuisine
#65 This House Looks Like A Suspended Shipping Container
Image credits: co1063
#66 I Found A Strange Bug With What Looks Like Eggs On It’s Back
Image credits: Ok-Zone-5603
#67 This Bruise On My Eye Looks Like Eyeliner
Image credits: Moon_is_dumb
#68 Rain And Ice Formed What Resembles A Fur Tree On The Side Of A Condo's Roof
Image credits: OldWrangler9033
#69 My Cat Scratched Me And It Looks Like “-2”
Image credits: cynta
#70 Ornament We Made As Kids In The 1960s Bares A Striking Resemblance To The Covid-19 Virus
Image credits: jfoudriat
#71 Random Blister That Looks Like An Exclamation Point Appeared On My Finger
Image credits: ZeloChief
#72 I Thought Someone Melted Their Hair With Bleach
Image credits: jasminexETH
#73 I Put Ghee In My Coffee This Morning And It Looked Like Celestial Bodies In Space
Image credits: beam_me_uppp
#74 My 8 Year Old Was Very Excited That The Pastry He Baked Happens To Resemble His B-2 Toy
Image credits: cassini2019
#75 This Mop Wringer Resembles Optimus Prime
Image credits: Jellanders
#76 This Snow That Resembles A Topographic Map
Image credits: evanwcarter
#77 Dripping Faucet With Ice That Resembles A Glass Bottle
Image credits: Glustick907
#78 “Another Espresso”
Image credits: silkvanille
#79 The List Of Beverages Available In This Japanese Restaurant Looks Like A Japanese Passport
Image credits: Sky-is-here
#80 This Croissant Looks Similar To A Nintendo 64 Controller
Image credits: kdorula
#81 Reflection Off My Car Resembles An Upvote!
Image credits: lolaphat
#82 This Tick That I Picked Up Because I Thought It Was A Rock
Image credits: TreatyPie
#83 I Thought So Too
Image credits: 21truckers
#84 My Beer Looked Like Blue Paint, And Had The Texture Of Blue Paint
Image credits: awowowowo
#85 My Sourdough Loaf Looks Like A Horizontal Section Of A Brain
Image credits: rodomontadefarrago
#86 The Residue Of This Coffee I Got Kind Of Resembles Musical Notation
Image credits: feedmeyourknowledge
#87 It's Not?
Image credits: buckleyshouse
#88 Starscream Pods
Image credits: RadcliffeMalice
